In Other Words

Being merely a high school student as I am, I may take a different perspective than others. Some people might treat CrossFit as their training program for a separate sport all together, some might participate to keep up their fitness, yet for some it is their sport. I fall under this last category where my total dedication lies with CrossFit. Just like a conventional sport each WOD acts as "practice" for something bigger in the future. But not only is a work out practice for say an event or the Games, it is a competition in and of itself. Every time you hit the WOD it should be an all out battle between the endurance and work capacity of your body with your mental fortitude, while both are being quickly destroyed by the intensity of what you are doing. 

In many instances it is said that you are your own worst enemy and I find this to hold true. You are the only one you are competing against, and only you (with the help of your coach) can push yourself to the edge but still hold on by a fraction of a margin to do the absolute best that you are capable of. Not only are you your own opponent in this game but you are also the drive and reward in the equation. When you win against yourself you also receive one of the best forms of reward and that is self satisfaction. Knowing your body and its capability for amazing feats of overall fitness and then putting that ability into play is one of the most self gratifying activities one can do.

Unfortunately when I'm at school, I can tell that this is not the way training goes down. As CrossFit makes its "fitness revolution" we can hope that it reaches all fields of practice however that isn't the case quite yet. One area in need that I know of, my school. I talked with one of the coaches for an after school sports team at my school and he demonstrated for me the very best back squat that the team had and I was sadly disappointed. Knowing that some of my friends dread deadlifting because they say it hurts their backs, I can understand that there is a dire need for proper coaching and training. We all know the drastic improvements that can be made through the CrossFit approach. Now if this was implemented on student competitive sports teams the success would be tremendous. I can only imagine what a football team with Fran times would be like, I mean CrossFit Football already exists, what more do you need! Following the high intensity program balanced with skills training partial to the sport in use, be it anything from lacrosse to swimming and who knows the measure of success. 

You can probably guess that if the squats aren't looking so good, neither are the diets. I am a user of the paleo/Zone diet so in the midsts of cafeteria sustenance I look quite like the black sheep. But while I eat my own food I observe the food of others and wonder how our athletes survive a game or practice on a bagel, a smoothie and a multitude of cookies and treats. Fitness performance and nutrition go hand in hand so I try not to imagine the pain it must be to fuel yourself with twinkies. But if there was a change in these habits and education involving what to eat for the best results be it in strength training or for the dancing team, then I believe there would be drastic positive change in the student athlete community. Now someone reading might say "isn't that a bit much to expect of already busy kids?" and my answer will be no. Taking these measures to increase the pace and level of advancement in sport and overall quality of life would not hinder, but obviously help anyone who participated. Not only that but once understanding the human potential, I say why settle for anything less than the greatest?